Extract text from NBK files
To convert your NBK file to another format, you need Noteful or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Note-taking Archive" file type, you need software like Noteful or a similar tool.
The .NBK file extension is a fragmented format primarily acting as a Backup Archive for various note-taking and system restoration applications. The most common modern usage (approx. 29%) is by Noteful, a popular iOS note-taking app, where the file serves as a compressed backup of handwritten notes and PDF annotations. Other significant uses include SMART Notebook (legacy backup files), NovaBACKUP job configurations, and legacy data from the now-defunct Circus Ponies NoteBook.
The main problem with .NBK files is their proprietary nature; a file created in Noteful on an iPad cannot be natively opened on a Windows PC or Android device, and a CNC machine backup is useless on a standard desktop. Users often encounter these files when trying to migrate data between devices or recover old projects, only to find them locked behind specific software ecosystems. Because these are often container formats, they do not inherently support browser previewing.
For Noteful and SMART files, the ideal conversion target is PDF for viewing and sharing, as this preserves handwriting and layout. If you need to access the raw assets (images or embedded PDFs) without the original software, converting (or renaming) the file to ZIP often allows you to extract the internal contents. For archiving data from legacy apps like Circus Ponies, converting to standard XML or Text is recommended to ensure future accessibility.
Convert.Guru analyzes your NBK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted NBK-JOURNAL, LOG, PDF, KFX, KML, NMF and ACR files.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our NBK converter.